Coffin



June 16, 1925. 1,542,725

A. C. RAY

COFFIN Fi1ed May 15, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet l June 16, 1925. 1,542,725

A. C. RAY

GOFFIN Filed May 15, 1924 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jywantpz m y amw q' ALFRED C. BAY, OF

PATENTFOVFFICE.

BUTTE, MONTANA, assrelvoa or own-aren't TO or'ro sononnnr, or BASIN, IVIGNTANA.

COFFIN.

Application filed May 15,

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ALFRED C. RAY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Butte, in the county of Silver Bow and State of Montana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Coffins, of which the following is a specification.-

This invention relates to an improved coffin and seeks, among other objects, to

provide a coflin wherein a body may be preserved more or less indefinitely.

The invention seeks, as a further object, to provide a coflin embodying a metal jacketed case as well as ametal covered lid,

whereinthe cover of the lid may be sealed to the jacket of thecase for renderingthe coffin air tight and wherein, after a body has been placed in the coffin, air may be exhausted from thecofiin, for thus prolonging the period for which the body may be preserved.

The invention seeks, as another object, to provide a coffin wherein'the case and lid will be effectually reinforced, wherein the lid will be provided with asight glass, and wherein the lid will also be equipped with a combined handle and reinforcing rib for the lid.

And the invention seeks, as a still further object, to provide a coffin embodying a sight tube which, after the coffin has been placed in the ground, may be disposed over the sight glass of the lid ofthe coffin to extend upwardly above the ground so that the body in the cofiin may be readily viewed as may be desired. f e

Other and incidental'objects will appear hereinafter.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a longitudinal sectional view through my improved coffin,

Figure 2 is a side elevation,

Figure 3 is an enlarged transverse sectional view on the line 33 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows,

Figure 4,- is a detail sectional view showing the mounting of the sight glass employed, V

Figure 5 is a detail perspective view particularly showing the keepers provided upon the braces of the coffin case,

Figure 6 is a detail sectional view showing one of the handles, and

' Figure? is an enlarged detail side eleva- 1924. Serial No. 713,551.

tion of the upper end of the sight tube for the coffin.

In carrying the inventioninto effect, I employ-a case or body 10 which may be of wood or other approved material and covering the case is a tightly fitting jacket 11 of suitable sheet metal. Fitting within the case to seat fiat against the side and bottom walls thereof are suitably spaced reinforcingbars 12 bent near their ends to form lugs 18 countersunk in the upper edges of the side walls of the case and connecting I said bars with the side and bottom-walls are bolts 14. Formed on or otherwise secured to the bars 12 near their upper ends are, as shown in detail in Figure 5 of the drawings, slotted keepers 15 and extending between said keepers are tie rods 16 resting in the keeper slots and provided at their ends with heads 17 received by the keepers. The rods 16 are, of course, freely removable and, as will be perceived, the rods will cooperate with the reinforcing bars 12 for supporting the side walls of the case against crushing stress tending to force the walls inwardly, toward each other, as well as bulging stress tending to separate said walls. Mounted upon the side walls of the case at the reinforcing bars 12, are handle plates 18 provided, as shown in detail in Figure 6, with spaced studs 19 straddling said bars and screwedupon said studs are nuts 20 connecting the plates with the case. Preferably, the plates are also brazed to the.

I jacket 11 so as toform a sealed joint between said plates and the jacket, and projecting 0 from the plates at their outer sides are spaced lugs 21 on which are swingingly mounted handles 22, the handles being provided at their ends with lugs 23 to coaot with the ends of the plates for limiting the handles in their upward swinging movement in horizontal position,

Mounted atthe foot of the case 10 isv an appropriate valve 24; extending through the jacket 11 and through the adjacent end wall ofthe case. This valve is constructed to receive the hose of any suitable air pump so that prior to burial, the air may be exhausted from the coffin. a

Closing the case 10 is a lid 25 resting 105 upon the upper edges of the side and end walls, of the case, mating therewith. The lid may, like the case, also be formed of wood or other suitable material and, as brought out in Figure 3, the lid is arched transversely. Overlying the lid is a sheet metal cover 26 which is brazed to the jac ret 11 of the case to form a sealed joint between the lid and the case and extending longitudinally of the lid throughout the major portion of its length is a combined handle and reinforcing bar or rib 27 appropriately secured to said cover. This bar will, of course, strengthen the lid longitudinally while, at the same time, the bar may be readily grasped for lifting and placing the cover in position. Fitting within the lid are spaced cross bars 28 registering with the bars 12 and connecting the cross bars with the lid are bolts 29. As brought out in Figure 3, the bars 28 are bent near their ends to form depending shoulders 30 snugly fitting between the upper ends of the bars 12 to bear thereagainst while at the base ends of said shoulders the bars are bent to form laterally directed lugs 31 countersunk in the longitudinal edges of the lid to rest upon the lugs 13 of the bars 12. lhe shoulders 30 of the bars 28 will thus eoact with the ends of the reinforcing bars 12 for rigidly supporting the cross bars, so that these bars will rigidly sustain the lid against downward stress.

Mounted upon the lid at the head thereof is acircular sight glass 32 which may be hinged upon the lid or, as shown in the drawings, may be secured by a flange 33 accommodating a lead or other appropriate gasket 3% embedding the peripheral margin of the glass to form asealed joint between the glass and the cover 26. In conjunction with the sight glass I provide a sight tube which, after the coflin has been placed in the ground, is positioned over the sight glass to upstand from the cofiin. The sight tube is also of suitable sheet metal and is coneshaped to thus prevent withdrawal of the tube after the grave has been filled. At its larger end, the tube is of a diameter to snugly surround the flange 33 and is brazed 0r soldered to the cover 26 of the lid 25. as

indicated at 36. Hinged upon the sight tube at 1ts upper end 15 a closure cap 37 carrying an eye 38 and secured upon the tube is a strap slotted to accommodate said eye so that a look, as conventionally illustrated at 4L0, may be engaged with the eye for securing the cap closed. Thus, when desired, an authorized party may, by opening the cap 37, and directing a light 'down the sight tube, view the remains.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is:

l. A coffin including a case, a jacket surrounding the case, a lid closing the case and provided with a cover sealed to the jacket, and a combined reinforcing bar and handle secured to the cover to extend longitudinally of the lid medially thereof throughout the major portion of the length of the lid.

2. A coflln including a case, a jacket surrounding the case, a lid closing the case and provided with a cover sealed to the jacket, a sight glass mounted upon the lid, a coneshaped sight tube having its larger end surrounding the glass and resting upon the lid, and amp fitting over the upper end of said tube and provided with means whereby the cap may be locked closed.

A coffin including a case, transversely disposed reinforcing bars bracing the case and provided near their ends with keepers, tie rods provided at their ends with heads engaged with said keepers, and a lid closing the case.

4:. A CO'illH including a case having side and bottom walls, transversely disposed reinforcing bars fitting within the case and secured to said walls, keepers carried by said bars near the upper edges of the side walls, tie rods engaged with said keepers connecting the side walls with each other, a lid closing the case, and cross bars bracing the lid and provided near their ends with shoulders coacting with said reinforcing bars.

In testimony whereof I atlix my signature.

ALFRED o. RAY. [L5] 

